As Sony's TV Business Crumbles, a Look Back at Its Most Iconic Sets

The TV8-301 cost an insane $249.95 (that's about $1,942 in today's dollars), weighed a little over 13 pounds, and had a nasty habit of malfunctioning.

The $230 black-and-white TV5-303 "micro TV" was marketed as the perfect set for your car. Controls were moved to the right front side of the set "for easy one-handed operation" while driving.

Released in Japan in 1968, the KV-1310 was the first of Sony's venerable line of Trinitron color TVs.

The KV-1375 was nicknamed the "Citation" after a line of Cessna Jets (which in turn was named after the famous thoroughbred race horse). Indeed, its design was partly inspired by imagining a monitor one might find inside a cockpit.

As the first in a long line of pocket televisions, the 3.4 x 8 x 1.3-inch FD-210 launched in Japan in 1982 and eventually made its way to the U.S. and Europe two years later.

The first Jumbotron--developed by the same engineer responsible for the Betamax videocassette recorder, Yuji Watanabe--debuted at the 1985 World's Fair.

The first in Sony's line of FD Trinitron WEGA TVs, the KW-32HDF9 had a completely flat screen with side-mounted speakers.

Released in 2008, the 11-inch XEL-1 was the world's first commercial OLED television.

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As Sony's TV Business Crumbles, a Look Back at Its Most Iconic Sets

The TV8-301 cost an insane $249.95 (that's about $1,942 in today's dollars), weighed a little over 13 pounds, and had a nasty habit of malfunctioning.

The $230 black-and-white TV5-303 "micro TV" was marketed as the perfect set for your car. Controls were moved to the right front side of the set "for easy one-handed operation" while driving.

Released in Japan in 1968, the KV-1310 was the first of Sony's venerable line of Trinitron color TVs.

The KV-1375 was nicknamed the "Citation" after a line of Cessna Jets (which in turn was named after the famous thoroughbred race horse). Indeed, its design was partly inspired by imagining a monitor one might find inside a cockpit.

As the first in a long line of pocket televisions, the 3.4 x 8 x 1.3-inch FD-210 launched in Japan in 1982 and eventually made its way to the U.S. and Europe two years later.

The first Jumbotron--developed by the same engineer responsible for the Betamax videocassette recorder, Yuji Watanabe--debuted at the 1985 World's Fair.

The first in Sony's line of FD Trinitron WEGA TVs, the KW-32HDF9 had a completely flat screen with side-mounted speakers.

Released in 2008, the 11-inch XEL-1 was the world's first commercial OLED television.

There's nothing like $8 billion in losses and an imminent spinoff to make a person nostalgic–particularly when the business bleeding all that money was pretty much infallible for the last half of the 20th century.

In February, Sony announced it would be spinning off TV operations into a wholly owned subsidiary. The decision wasn't exactly a surprise for those who follow the company's fortunes. Sony's TV arm hasn't been profitable for nearly a decade now. In addition to losing close to 790 billion yen ($7.9 billion) since 2004, the company has also swapped out the head of its TV business five times.

Over the years, Sony has tried numerous remedies, including grasping at 3-D straws and reining in manufacturing costs. Nothing has worked. The latest decision, which also includes 5,000 layoffs and a refocus on higher-end sets, comes as part of a larger restructuring the struggling company has been doing for years. The hope is that by amputating the underperforming division, Sony will be in a better position to react faster to market changes, make better decisions, and eventually, you know, make money.

That's one way of looking at the move. Another is that Sony is simply prolonging the inevitable by casting off its TV business into a weird kind of limbo. After all, while CEO Kazuo Hirai has said he's not considering selling it (like he just did the company's PC business), he's also careful to qualify such statements with "at this time." The financial assessment from the company's new CFO doesn't seem very reassuring on that front.

Photo: Sony

Image: Sony

If you're of a certain age (old enough to have distinct memories of the Reagan era), you'll probably remember a time when all of this seemed unimaginable. As WIRED's own Marcus Wohlsen succinctly put it: Sony was TV for many of us. I was lucky enough to own a few Trinitrons growing up, and each one's arrival in our house prompted epic (and probably unhealthy) levels of gadget obsession. Indeed, throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s Sony television dominated not only living rooms, but also dorm rooms, offices, and even sports arenas. They were more expensive than other offerings, but they were also brighter, better looking, and had a cultural sway that no other product could match.

Of course, Sony still makes fantastic, overpriced, beautifully designed TVs. I happen to own one. But more than any other point in the company's history, none of that really matters. The TV business, as many have noted, is a vicious and unforgiving one. Low margins, declining sales, and increased competition haven't made things any easier for Sony in recent years. And while building bigger, higher-end screens with more Ks may help Sony retain its reputation, it's certainly not a guaranteed path back to profitability.

And this is essentially the predicament: This isn't a problem the company can innovate its way out of. It's a shame too, because if there's one thing Sony has proved time and again, it's that it can crank out some truly groundbreaking TVs. For proof, look no further than these eight iconic sets.